Bhagwan Mahavir Swami Jain Temple, 3 Chome-7-5 Kitanocho, Chuo Ward, Kobe (Japan)

Most popular Jain Temple in Japan.

It was on 1st June, 1985 when the formal opening ceremony of this temple was performed. Prior to that, the Moolnayak pratima (idol) of Bhagwan Mahaveer was specially flown from Mumbai, India in 1984 and the Panch Kalyanak Pratistha was held in April same year. The temple has been built with the funds contributed by the Jain community members of Japan.

The temple is built out of marble and the architectural detail of the temple is lovely.

Jainism, unlike the closely related Buddhism, is a minority religion in Japan. At present, there are three Jain temples in Japan, with Kobe Jain temple being the most famous one. Jainism is growing in Japan, more than 5,000 ethnic Japanese families in Japan have converted to Jainism.

40 Japanese students were sponsored by the Government of India in the early 1950s to live and study in India. Some of them studied at Navinaya in Varanasi and Gujarat, which led to new interest in the study of Jainism in Japan. One of the accomplishments was the first Japanese book by Minakata Kumagusu to simplify & translate the concepts of Jainism into Japanese for use by the common people in Japan.

23 February, 2020: In a new wave of religious tourism, 1000s of Japanese nationals have travelled to India and adopted Jainism in recent years. They live like astute Jains - They wrap themselves in white loin cloth, follow Jain diet, wake up with the sun, consume only boiled water, meditate for hours in derasar (Jain temple) and dine before sunsets. These Japanese tourists travel every year to Palitana and Shankheswar to embrace Jainism. They spend weeks studying Jain script under learned monks.

Reportedly, the town of Naganoken, home to the 7th century Zenko-Ji temple with a hidden Buddha, sees hundreds of Japanese nationals travel to Palitana and Shankheswar in Gujarat to embrace Jainism every year.

A traveller named Churushi Miyazawa came to India in 2005 and in her first meeting with Swargiya Acharya Jayantsen Suriswarji Maharaj Saheb, she was inspired by the tenets of the religion. With that, she decided to shed her past, lead a minimalistic life, give up the comforts she was soaked in and vowed to live like a Jain. Churushi, who has changed her name as Tulsi, wanted to take Diksha/renunciation. She said, “My guru entrusted me with a bigger task: To spread Jainism across Japan. Since then I have been travelling to India four to five times a year with hundreds of Japanese who are ready to embrace Jainism,” Tulsi said.

The Japanese follow the eight-day holy festival of Paryushan too. “There they fast for eight days (atthai) by merely consuming warm water. Even children follow Paryushan and keep fasts for a day or two. The appeal of ahimsa or non-violence propounded by Jainism has found a connection with all of us,” added Tulsi.

After Naganoken, the popularity of Jainism is spreading in Osaka and Tokyo too. Not only have 1000s of Japanese turned to Jainism, but many are taking up monkhood. Under normal practice, initiation into monkhood comes after immense training. The initiates live with monks and the preparatory phase can last anywhere between 6 months and 10 years.

2,500 Japanese travelled to Tharad in northern Gujarat and spent a week there with the disciples of Jayant Sensuriswarji Maharaj Saheb.

“There are a number of Japanese coming here in large numbers. They follow all our rules, pray with us, eat Satvik food before the sun sets, mediate and go back home to follow the same lifestyle we induct them into,” said Nityasen Suriswarji Maharaj Saheb. The Japanese are also taking Hindi tutorials to understand the intricacies of the religious texts, said Jain-Ujwal.

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